Classics Retold

After I was robbed, I fared on, and when night approached, I climbed the sideof a mountain and took shelter in a cave till daybreak. Then I journeyed till nightfall, feeding on plants and fruits of the earth, and slept till daybreak. For a month I travelled like this, until I came to a fair, peaceful and prosperous city teeming with people and full of life. The winter had departed with its frosts and spring had arrived with it roses. The streams were flowing, the flowers blooming, and the birds singing. It was like the city of which the poet said: Behold a peaceful city, free from fear Whose wonders make it a heaven. I felt glad. I felt sad. Glad to reach it. Sad of my wretched situation. I was so tired from walking that I was pale with exhaustion. My face and hands and feet were chapped, and I felt overwhelmed with worry and grief. I entered the city, not knowing where to go, and chanced by a tailor sitting in his shop. I greeted him, and he returned my greeting, and detected in me tr...

The house of three beautiful girls. A Porter, three dervishes, Harun Al Rashid and his vizier and executioners were present. The second dervish addressed the girl and continued the story. When we looked at them closely, we discovered that they were highwaymen, and when they saw that we were a small company with ten loads of goods - these were gifts - they thought that we were carrying loads of money, drew their swords, and pointed their spears at us. We signalled to them, saying, "We are messengers to the great king of India, you cannot harm us." They replied, "We are neither within his dominion, nor under his rule." Then they killed all my men, and wounded me. But while they were scrambling for the gifts that were with us, I escaped and wandered away, without knowing where I was heading, or in which direction to go. I fell to a lowest point from mighty point. I was rich and became poor. The break of Dawn

Those who were present in the house of three beautiful girls marvelled at the story of First Dervish. The Caliph said to Ja'far "In all my life I have never heard a stranger tale." The second dervish began to tell his tale. By God, my lady, I was not born one eyed. My father was a king [1] and he taught me how to read and write. I studied jurisprudence in a book by al-shatibi, [2] and commented on it in the presence of other scholars. Then I turned to the study of classical Arabic and its grammar until I reached the height of eloquence, and I perfected the art of calligraphy until I surpassed all my contemporaries and all leading calligraphers of the day, so that the fame of my eloquence and calligraphic art spread to every province and town and reached all the kings of the age. One day the king of India [3] send my father gifts and rarities worthy of a king and asked him to send me to him. My father fitted me with six riding horses and send me along with the posted couri...

The first dervish continues his story: My lady, when my uncle struck his son's face with the shoe as he and the lady lay there in a charred heap, I said to him, "For God's sake, uncle, don't make me feel worse; I feel worried and sorry for what happened to your son; yet as if he has not suffered enough, you strike him on the face with your shoe." He replied, " Nephew, you should know that this son of mine was madly in love with his sister, and I often forbade him from seeing her but went on saying to myself, 'they are only children.' But when they grew up, they did the ugly deed, and I heard about it, hardly believing my ears. I seized him, and beat him mercilessly, saying, 'Beware, beware of that deed, lest our story spread far and wide even to every remote province and town, and you be dishonoured and disgraced among the kings, to the end of time. Beware, beware, for this girl is your sister, and God has forbidden her to you.' Then, nephew, ...

The scene is the house of three beautiful girls. The porter, three dervishes and Harun Al Rashid and his men are present. Seven black men are ready to take on the seven guests. The tale of porter is over. First dervish had already begun on the previous day but was not complete. And now he continues: After I followed his instructions, I returned, suffering from a hangover, and spent the night in one of my uncle's houses, which he had given me to use before he went on a hunting trip. When I woke up in the morning and recalled the events of the previous night, I thought that it was all a dream. Being in doubt, I inquired about my cousin, but no one could tell me anything. I went to the graveyard and searched for the Sepulchre, but I could not find it, or remember anything about it. I kept wandering from Sepulchre to Sepulchre, and from tomb to tomb, without food or drink, until night set in. I was getting worried about my cousin, and as I wondered where the vaulted staircase led to, I...

The mistress of the house wanted each of the seven men to tell their tales, how they happened to come to this house. Those who tell their tale would get a stroke on their head before they leave, and those who refuse would stand to loose their heads.  The first person who came forward to tell his story was the porter. He said, "Mistress, you know why I came to this house. I was standing in the market with my basket expecting my daily bread. The shopper came to me and said to follow her. I followed her. First to the wine merchant, then the butcher, then the green grocer, then the fruit vendor, and then to the dry grocer, and then the confectioner, and then to the druggist, and finally to this house. This is my tale." The girl replied, "Stroke your head and go." The porter replied, "I will not go until I hear tales of others." The first Dervish came forward and said, "My Lady, the cause of my eye being torn out and my beard being shaved off was as follow...

When the girl heard the third song, she cried out, "By God, this is good." Then she grabbed her dress, and tore it, and as she fell down in a swoon, she revealed on her chest marks like welts from a whip. The dervishes muttered. "We wish that we had never entered this house. We gained a few dirhams, but we lost our peace." The Caliph turned and asked, "How so?" They replied, " O distinguished gentleman, we are troubled by these  horrific scenes." Caliph asked, "But you are the members of the household; perhaps you can expain to me the story of bitches, and this girl." They replied, "We know nothing, and we have never laid eyes on this place until tonight." Then the Caliph winked at the porter, and said, "Perhaps, you might know."  But he replied, "In love all are alike, for even though I have been raised in Baghdad, never in my life have I entered this house until today. I did spend an amazing day with them. Sti...

Three girls, a porter, three dervishes the Caliph Harun Al Rashid, his vizier and Masrur are now present in the palacious house of the girls. Harun Al Rashid and his men are in disguise. All the men present were depressed by the girls' treatment of the two hounds. Now begins the story of 35th Night: The doorkeeper sister who had been sitting on the chair said to Shopper sister, "Get up and pay me my due." The shopper rose, entered a chamber, and soon brought a bag of yellow satin with two green silk tassels ornamented with red gold and two beads of pure ambergris. She sat in front of the doorkeeper, drew a lute out of the bag of yellow satin, and with its sides resting on her knee, held it in her lap. Then she tuned the lute, and plucking the strings with her finger tips, began to play and sing the following verses of kan wa Kan variety: My love, my aim You are my desire. You are my constant joy Your absence hellish fire. You are my madness  My one infatuation  Love is no...

Three wealthy, civilized girls lived independently in their palacious house. The porter was entrusted by one of the girls, to carry her merchandise from the market to their house. She was the shopper. The doorkeeper was the girl who opened the door. The girl with Babylonian eyes was the third. Then there came three dervishes seeking shelter for the night. Later came Harun Al Rashid and his Ja'far and Masrur. "You are welcome," said the girls, as the Caliph, Ja'far and Masrur sat down, "and we are delighted to have you as our guests, but on one condition" "What's your condition?" They asked. "That you will be eyes without tongues and will not inquire into whatever you see." The girls said and continued, "You will speak not of what concerns you not, lest you hear what pleases you not." "As you wish," they said, "we have no reason to meddle." Pleased, the girls sat to entertain them, drinking and conversing ...

Palace like house of three girls in Baghdad. One of the girls went to market and bought various merchandise and got a young porter to carry it into their house. The porter was very clever and obtained the permission of the girls to stay with them in the house. Again another set of people, three one eyed dervishes came in the night and asked the permission of the girls to stay in the house. The dervishes heated with wine called for musical instruments. One of the girls, the doorkeeper brought a tambourine, a Persian harp and a flute. They tuned their instruments and began to play and sing. The girls  also joined them, and it became louder. There was a knock at the door and the doorkeeper went to see what was happening. That very night, the Caliph Harun Al Rashid and his Ja'far came to the city, as they used to, now and then. As they passed through by the house of girls, they heard the flute and the song, and also talks and laugh of partying.  Harun Al Rashid said, "Ja'far, ...

The porter went down into the pool; washed himself under the beard and under the arms; then he rushed out of the pool; planted himself in the lap of the fairest girl; put his arm in the lap of the doorkeeper; rested his legs in the lap of shopper and pointing to his penis, asked, "Ladies, what is this?" They were pleased with his antics and laughed, for his disposition agreed with theirs and they found him entertaining. One of them said, "Your cock" and he replied, "You have no shame. An ugly word." The other said, "Your penis," and he replied, "You should be ashamed, and God put you to shame." The third said, "Your dick," and he said, "No." The other said, "Your stick," and he replied, "No." Another said, "Your thing, your testicles, your prick," and he kept saying, "No, no, no." They asked, "What is the name of this?" He hugged this and kissed that, pinched the one ...

The doorkeeper went into the pool, threw water on herself, and after immersing herself completely, began to sport, taking water in her mouth and squirting it all over her sisters and the porter. Then she washed herself under her breasts, between her thighs, and inside her navel. She rushed out of the pool, sat naked in the porter's lap, and pointing to her slit, asked, "My lord and my love, what is this?" "Your womb," said the porter, and she replied, "Pooh, pooh, you have no shame," and slapped him on the neck. "Your vulva," said he, and the other sisters pinched him, shouting, "Bah, this is an ugly word." "Your cunt," said he, and the third sister boxed him on the chest and knocked him over, saying, "Fie, have some shame." "Your clitoris," said he and again the naked girl slapped him, saying, "No." "Your pudenda, your pussy, your sex tool," said he, and she kept replying, "No,...

The porter thought that the girls were charming and beautiful, and they stacked enough of merchandise: wine, meat, fruits, nuts, sweets, fresh herbs, candles, charcoal, and the like for drinking and carousing, without seeming any man around, he was very astonished and stood there hesitant to leave. One of the girls asked him, "Why don't you go? Do you find your pay little?" and turning to her sister, said, "Give him another dinar." The porter replied, "By God, ladies, my pay is not little, for I deserve not even two dirhams. But I have been wondering about your situation. The absence of anyone to entertain you. A table needs four legs to stand on. You being three, likewise need a fourth, for the pleasure of men is not complete without women, and the pleasure of women is not complete without men. The poet says: Our delight needs four things: The lute, the harp, the zither And the double flute, blending with  The scent of four lovely flowers  Roses, myrtles, ...

The porter stood at the door, behind the lady, marvelling at her beauty, her charm, her eloquence, and her liberal ways, the door was unlocked, and the two leaves swung open. A full bossomed girl appeared on the doorway. Five feet tall she was all charm, beauty, and grace. Like a new moon was her forehead; her eyes like those of deer, her eyebrows like crescent in the month of Sha'ban (8th month of Hijri ) cheeks like red anemones, mouth like the seal of Solomon, lips like red carnelian, teeth like a row of pearls set in coral, neck like a cake for a king, bosom like a fountain, breasts like a pair of pomegranates resembling a rabbit with uplifted ears, and belly with navel like a cup that holds a pound of benzoin ointment. She was like her of whom the poet aptly said: The sun and moon cast your sight;  Savour the flowers and lavenders. Never seen such a white in black Such radiant face, hair deep dark And rosy cheeks her name is Beauty To those who do not know her fame Her swaying...

There was a bachelor in the city of Baghdad. He was a porter. He was standing in the market, leaning on his basket, when a woman approached him. She wore a Mosul cloak, a silk veil, a fine kerchief embroidered with gold, a pair of leggings tied with fluttering laces. She lifted her veil, and a pair of beautiful dark eyes graced with long lashes and tender expression appeared. "Porter, take your basket and follow me," said she in a soft voice and sweet tone. Hardly believing his ears, the porter took his basket and hurried behind her. He said to himself, "O happy day, O lucky day" and hurried behind her. She stopped at the fruit vendor, and bought from him red and yellow apples, Herbon peaches, and Turkish quinces, sea coast lemons, royal oranges, as well as baby cucumbers. Then she asked potter to put them into his basket. Next, she approached the flower vendors. And bought Aleppo jasmines, Damascus lilies, myrtle berries and mignonettes, daisies and gilly flowers, ...

The king in disguise of black slave asked the princess to release from her spell the prince and the inhabitants of the city. The prince was released. Twenty Seventh Night  The princess uttered some words over the lake and the fish began to dance, the spell was lifted and the towns people resumed their usual activities and returned to their buying and selling. The princess went back to the mausoleum, approached the king in disguise of black slave and said, "My lord give me your gracious hand and rise." The king in disguise said in a muffled voice said, "Come closer to me." She moved close, while he urged her to come closer, and she moved until her body touched his. Then he pushed her back and with one stroke of the sword sliced her in half and she fell in two to the ground. The king in disguise went out. The prince had been waiting for him to express his gratitude. The prince took him to his palace and introduced him to his people. The king invited him to his country...

Previous night: The king in search of the mystery behind the coloured fish and the lake surrounded by hills, entered the room where the black man lay, and killed him. Then he carried him out and threw him into a well. He came back to the room where the black man lay, put on the clothes of black man, covered himself, and lay hiding at the bottom of the tomb, with drawn sword, hidden under his clothes. The princess came and whipped the prince; she clothed him with coarse hairshirt and covered it with other garments. Then she headed to the spot where the black man lay. She carried the usual cup of broth. She began to weep and wail, "Lover, denying me yourself is not your custom. Do not be stingy. My foes gloat over our separation.  Then she uttered the following verses: How long the cruel disdain, Have I not paid with enough tears. Talk to me, speak to me, answer me. O lover speak to me, answer me. The king in disguise, lowered his voice, stammered, and simulating the accent of black...

Story from the previous nights. The king in search of the mystery behind coloured fish and lake, in his search happened to meet the prince who was half man and half stone. Now he revealed to the king how his cousin wife by using Balck magic turned him to his present state. Twenty Fifth Night: The prince continued his story. After my wife turned me into this condition, half man and half stone, she cast spell on the city, its gardens and fields, the markets and the very place your troops are now stationed. She turned the inhabitants of my city into fish. My inhabitants were Muslims, Magians, Christians and Jews. The Muslims were turned white fish. The Magians red, Christians blue, and Jews yellow. Likewise she turned the islands into four hills surrounding the lake. As if what she has done to me and the city is not enough, she strips me naked every day and gives me hundred lashes with the whip until my back is lacerated and begins to bleed. Then she clothes my upper half with a hairshirt...

The MoonStone man relates his story to the King, who came in search of the mystery behind coloured fish and the lake. The former follows his wife and find out her rendezvous with a black man. He drews his sword and struck the black man. The break of dusk and everyone including king Shahriar, Queen Shahrazad, her sister Dinarzad and the story telling team were present to begin the story of twenty fourth night. Officers of the king, lords, servants, slaves and slave girls as audience were also present. Twenty Fourth Night : The MoonStone man picked up the thread.  "My lord, I struck the black man on his neck, but failed. Though it cut into skin and flesh of the throat, the wound was not deep, but I thought that I had killed him. He began to snort violently, and my wife pulled away from him. I retreated, put the sword back in its place and went back to the the city. I entered the palace, and went to sleep in my bed till morning. My wife had arrived. She had cut her hair and put on ...

The MoonStone man continued his story of previous night to the king who came in search of the mystery behind coloured fish and the lake. "Then I followed her. She traversed the palace, and then the city, and now stood at the city gate. There she uttered words I could not follow. The locks fell off and the gate opened by itself. She went out. She slipped through the mounds of waste and came to a hut thatched with palm leaves, leading to a domed structure built with sun-dried bricks. After she entered the structure, I climbed to the top of the dome, from where I looked inside.  My wife was standing before a decrepit black man sitting on reed shavings, and dressed in tatters. She kissed the ground before him, and he raised his head and said, "Damn you, why are you late? My black cousins were here. They played with bat and ball, sang, and drank brewed liquor. They had a good time each with his own girl friend, except for myself, because I refused even to drink with them because y...

The king who came alone in search of mystery behind the coloured fish and the lake surrounded by hills found a young man in a lonely palace without nobody to attend him. His face was as bright as moon. But he was half man (from head to navel) and half stone (from navel to feet). The king said to the young man: "I came to look for an answer to the mystery behind coloured fish. Now, young man you have added one more mystery. There is no power and no strength except God. Now hurry up and tell me your story." The young man replied: "Lend me your ears, your eyes and your mind." The king replied, "My ears, my eyes and my mind are ready." The young man began to tell his story:  "My story and the story of fish is strange and amazing. If it could be engraved with needle at the tail of my eye would be a lesson for others. My father was the king of this city. King Mahmud of Back Islands. These four hills were four islands. He ruled for seventy years. When he die...

The king walked into the centre of the palace, and looked around. Carpets and leather mats and drapes furnished the floors and windows. There were settees, benches, seats and cushions, as well as cupboards. In the middle, there stood a spacious courtyard, surrounded by four adjoining recessed courts facing each other. In the centre stood a fountain, on top of which crouched four lions in red gold, spouting water from their mouth in droplets that looked like gems and pearls, singing birds fluttered around the fountain. The king was very much astonished, but there was no one to quench his quest. He sat pensively by one of the recessed courts, when he heard moans and lamentations in following verses: My soul is torn between peril and toil; O Life, dispatch me, one mighty blow. My lover ....my lover...O, mylover, Neither bankrupt nor noble man Humbled by love's law, do you pity? Even from breeze I used to guard you The blow of fate the eyes go blind But, as he pulls to shoot, the bow S...

The vizier witnessed how the maiden with her wand came out of the wall; overturned frying pan, disappeared. "I can no longer hide this from the king," said the vizier. The king was exceedingly amazed. He said, "I wish to see it with my own eyes." He sent for the fisherman, who came after a little while. The king said, "I want you to bring more fish like the ones you brought here. Hurry!" He assigned three officers to guard the fisherman. They disappeared. After a while they returned. And the fisherman brought four fish: red, white, blue and yellow. The king commanded: "Give him four hundred dirhams." The fisherman received the money and went away. The king said to the vizier, "Fry the fish in my presence." The servant girl came with frying pan, Kindled the fire, put the frying pan on the fire. Cut and cleaned fish were put in the boiling oil in the frying pan. When they were done, the wall was split open, and instead of the beautiful ma...

The fisherman presented the fish to the king. The colour of the fish attracted the king. He took one of them, looked at it in amazement, then said to his vizier, "Take them to the cook." The vizier took them to the girl, and said to her, "Girl, I save my tears for the time of trial " Then the king ordered the vizier to give four hundred dirhams to the fisherman. The vizier gave the money to the fisherman, and he went away, running, stumbled, and then getting up, thought he was in a dream.  The girl scaled the fish, cleaned them, and cut them into pieces. Placed the fish in the frying pan. When the pieces were done on one side, she turned them over, but no sooner had she  done this than the kitchen-wall split open and there emerged a beautiful maiden. She wore a short-sleeved silk shirt in Egyptian style, embroidered all round with lace and gold spangles. She had dangling ear rings, bracelets, and she held a bamboo wand. She thrust the wand into the frying pan and sa...